School Hours To Be Extended As GoK Insists KCSE, KCPE Still On

The government, through the Ministry of Education has continued to insist that the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations are still on this year.

There have been calls from various education stakeholders including KUPPET and KNUT to have the Ministry of Education postpone the exams due to the learning disruption as a result of Covid-19.

President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the closure of all learning institutions more than a month ago to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in schools and colleges.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Professor George Magoha, now says that should schools open within the next one month, the August holiday will be shortened and school hours extended to cover up for the lost time.

The Ministry of Education extended the closure of schools for another one month with the hope of reopening during the month of June. By the month of June, students would have lost seven weeks of their school calendar.

“The Ministry continues to monitor the Covid-19 situation as it consults with other relevant Government Agencies before undertaking any further mitigation in the sector,” said CS Magoha to Members of Parliament.

Magoha continues to insist that the government has no plans of postponing the national examinations (KCPE and KCSE) this year. He says online learning through KBC, EDU TV and YouTube, as well as various FM stations is going on across the country, which is a lie.

Normalcy Amidst Abnormalcy

Professor George Magoha has continued to speak of normalcy amidst abnormalcy despite calls on him to see the reality of Covid-19 both in Kenya and other countries.

Truth is, there is time for everything and this is not just the time to talk and Insist on exams. We should not prioritize exams at the expense of life. It is time to think of the next safer steps.